Tim Burton on Dogs and His New Film Frankenweenie

In the upcoming stop-motion 3D animated film Frankenweenie, director Tim Burton shares a tale about a boy and his dog. From what I can tell from the trailer, Sparky dies and Victor brings him back to life.

Tim Burton holds one of the Sparky puppets from the film “Frankenweenie.” “On this film we have the opportunity to shoot black and white, which is part of the feeling of what it’s about,” he says.

Frankenweennie, written by John August, is based on an original idea by Burton. When he was a child, Burton loved watching classic horror films; one of his favorites was Frankenstein. In Frankenweenie, what was so compelling to Burton was the story of a boy and his dog. “The reason I originally wanted to make Frankenweenie was based on growing up and loving horror movies,” he says. “But it was also the relationship I had when I was a child with a certain dog that I had. It’s a special relationship that you have in your life. Dogs obviously don’t usually live as long as people, so therefore you experience the end of that relationship. So that, in combination with the Frankenstein story, just seemed to be a very powerful thing to me—a very personal kind of remembrance.”

Seventeen Victors and twelve Sparkys were made for the film “Frankenweenie.”

More than 200 puppets and sets were created for Frankenweenie. The first puppet designed for the movie was Sparky and the scale that they established with him set the standard for the rest of the film. Burton had a very specific vision for Sparky’s character and really wanted him to act and move like a real dog. A dozen Sparkys were made for the film, and there was a puppet hospital on the set, which was always full.

Frankenweenie opens October 5. I am planning on going to a screening, and will report back on how the film handles pet loss and the relationship between a boy and his dog. Click here to see the trailer.